Im just now wondering since I have taken my birds shopping for food and toys and other public places such as the park, outdoor walks and sometimes public transport to get to these locations, Of course they would fall into different categories such as the park and outdoor walks they would be benefiting from the sun and fresh air and shopping for food and toys etc they aren't really benefiting from anything but the fact they get to be with their owner and some might enjoy being in these places but I could be wrong but I see when I take Oscar shopping he gets excited and says Hello to strangers and then if we are on the bus he is usually very quiet and still and I can see he doesn't really like it but in the car he acts normal.I can say I like to take Oscar almost everywhere with me and public places are mostly for my benefit and I don't see that as a bad thing as long as everyone is happy but I feel great whenever I have a bird with me and you meet and talk to lots of new people which never would have happened.I agree that I have taken some risks such as taking him out on St Patricks Day when there was a lot of people around town and probably a lot of drunks that could have probably done something to him but I was with my family and there were police around so I felt safe, The fact that I know I'm taking a risk shows I understand what I am doing and that I would never put him or us in any serious danger and if I hadn't been with my family I would have left him at home.So whats everyones opinion? Do you think your birds enjoy being in public places? Remember they are all different

It depends. If the bird hates the harness or carrier, then it's bad. If the bird is taken around with clipped wings, it's bad. If the bird has not been gradually socialized and aquatinted with going out it's bad. On the other hand, a well trained parrot that easily puts on a harness, doesn't get stressed from being out, you can handle with 100% reliability, is closely monitored, and is being taken care of, then it's great. The main issue is that most people have not invested an adequate effort to get their bird to this point and then it will stress the bird.

I don't know if they like public places. I know mine enjoy all the activity in my house. When I got Myrtle as long as I did not look at her, she would hang over the top of her cage to watch the dogs and cats run by.

Michael wrote:It depends. If the bird hates the harness or carrier, then it's bad. If the bird is taken around with clipped wings, it's bad. If the bird has not been gradually socialized and aquatinted with going out it's bad. On the other hand, a well trained parrot that easily puts on a harness, doesn't get stressed from being out, you can handle with 100% reliability, is closely monitored, and is being taken care of, then it's great. The main issue is that most people have not invested an adequate effort to get their bird to this point and then it will stress the bird.

Oscar almost puts his harness on himself lol and is very talkative when out and very well behaved, I know your birds are too so would you say they enjoy it?

The thing about taking a lone parrot out is that it's not a natural thing for them so, as Michael explained, it depends on the actual bond to the owner (a bond which the parrot relies on for a needed sense of security) and the care it was taken to desensitize it (which implies being able to accurately read its body language and doing it very, very, very gradually).

Parrots, in the wild, find safety in being surrounded by their flock and in not venturing into unfamiliar territory so they are not naturally 'made' to go around exploring on their own like territorial species do without a single problem (stress). Can they be made to go out without a whole lot of stress? Depending on the species, whether the bird is hand-fed or parent-raised, the age, the degree of trust and love they have for their owner and how well they were inured to the situation, yes, they can. But, as you can see, there are many 'dependings' in there.

But, in my personal opinion, taking a bird out just so you can show it off and attract attention to yourself is not a good enough reason for it.

Pajarita wrote:The thing about taking a lone parrot out is that it's not a natural thing for them so, as Michael explained, it depends on the actual bond to the owner (a bond which the parrot relies on for a needed sense of security) and the care it was taken to desensitize it (which implies being able to accurately read its body language and doing it very, very, very gradually).

Parrots, in the wild, find safety in being surrounded by their flock and in not venturing into unfamiliar territory so they are not naturally 'made' to go around exploring on their own like territorial species do without a single problem (stress). Can they be made to go out without a whole lot of stress? Depending on the species, whether the bird is hand-fed or parent-raised, the age, the degree of trust and love they have for their owner and how well they were inured to the situation, yes, they can. But, as you can see, there are many 'dependings' in there.

But, in my personal opinion, taking a bird out just so you can show it off and attract attention to yourself is not a good enough reason for it.

Well my reason for liking to have a bird with me is because they seem to give me confidence, I know I can be very quiet but when I'm with the birds or even just talking about birds I don't feel afraid to talk, Im also very quiet in school but having Oscar there for that short time today I was acting normal and talking to everyone about him.My birds are family not some piece of jewellery to show off and sometimes I actually try to avoid people so I wont have to talk to them if they stop me to look at Oscar.